Announcements

Dr. Deanna Thompson, with Dr. Pankaj Karande (Chemical and Biological Engineering Department), has been awarded a $330,000 3-year NSF grant titled, "Rational and Combinatorial Design of Biomaterials for Neural Engineering." This project represents a new approach for the design of biomaterials for engineering specific human tissues.

One of the major challenges in tissue engineering field is the lack of a functional vasculature with adequate perfusion. Biomedical Engineering Department faculty Dr. Xavier Intes and Dr. Guohao Dai have led the team of investigators to develop an integrated platform that combines 3-D tissue printing and 3-D tissue imaging to study vasculature formation in thick tissues.

We are happy to announce that the collaboration between RPI’s BME Capstone Design and the Center for Disability Services has been awarded this year’s annual Technology Innovation Award by the Center for Economic Growth. The award is based on the strong collaboration between our Capstone Design course and the work our students have done over the last 6 years with the Center for Disability Services. Within RPI, we share the recognition with the MDL who has worked with the Center for the last two years.

Department of Biomedical Engineering RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE Undergraduate Seminar Series in Global Health Presents Dr. Eric H. Ledet Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Tuesday, April 3, 2012 4:00 p.m. Academy Hall Auditorium A Tale of Two Systems: Immersion in South African Health CareAdequate healthcare remains a significant challenge in developing nations. State-of-the-art technology and equipment are often unsustainable. Accessibility of facilities is often prohibitive due to limited infrastructure.

The Biomedical Engineering Department would like to congratulate Christopher Rivet on his achievement as a finalist for the Lemelson-MIT award! Christopher's project, titled "A Hydrogel and Electrospun Fiber Composite Material," is one of the three finalists for the 2012 prize. The award will be presented March 7. Additional information regarding the Lemelson-MIT award can be found here: http://www.eng.rpi.edu/lemelson

It is a great pleasure to share the news that Ryan Gilbert has received an NSF Career Award for the project entitled: "CAREER: Study of Astrocyte Migration and Reactivity Using Novel Biomaterial Platforms". The award, totaling $496,366 over a period of five years, is funded by the Division of Materials Research/ Biomaterials Program. The grant will support the Gilbert laboratory's pursuit of developing novel biomaterial strategies for treatment of spinal cord injury.

Materials and Systems Biology Research in Biotechnology and Biomedicine An REU program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, offers undergraduate students from other universities the opportunity to participate in ongoing research with faculty members during a 10-week period in the summer. For those students considering a career in research, an undergraduate research experience is a great place to start.

Biomedical engineering students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will travel to South Africa next month on a mission to identify the unique needs of remote, under-resourced medical clinics.